City to start urine tests for night club raids

City to start urine tests for night club raids

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Jakarta Police will soon have two mobile labs to test the urine
of suspected drug abusers in the city, National Narcotics Agency
(BNN) director Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara said on Wednesday.

"The devices are from Germany and now are in Singapore. We
expect them to arrive here next week. Each of the devices is
worth Rp 1.5 billion (US$163,256)," he said.

The devices were bought with the 2004 state budget.

Makbul said police in many countries used the labs when they
raided night clubs. Each device can produce test results on up to
1,000 urine samples in only an hour.

"The technology is expected to be useful tool for the police
when apprehending suspects. The test results can be used as
evidence to strengthen the prosecution," he said.

Police cannot arrest suspects without evidence of a drug in
their possession. Suspects often immediately throw away drugs
when they realize police are raiding a premises.

Presently, if they test a suspect for drugs they must wait for
two days for urine test results.

Makbul said the labs would act as a deterrent to drug use in
nightspots in the city that are notorious for drug dealing.

Jakarta was the center for the pilot project, he said.

"If they work well in Jakarta, we will put eight more units in
other cities that are drug dealing centers," Makbul said. "I hope
in two months, the devices will bear fruit."

Makbul did not reveal how police planned to conduct the raids
and whether all night club patrons or only dealers would be
targeted.